Only Time Will Tell

The Clifton Chronicles, Book 1

By: Jeffrey Archer

Narrated by: Roger Allam, Emilia Fox

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

From the internationally bestselling author Jeffrey Archer comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in the ambitious Clifton Chronicles series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.

The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he's left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer's engrossing series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes listeners on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the listener nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.

©2011 Jeffrey Archer (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Archer delivers another page-turning, heart-stopping saga, with delightful twists, and a surprise ending… readers will surely wait for the next with bated breath.” —Publishers Weekly

“General readers as well as Archer fans will enjoy this unforgettable tale, which abounds with cliff-hangers that propel its intriguing and intricate plot.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“What appears at the outset to be a straightforward coming-of-age tale becomes, by the end, a saga of power, betrayal, and bitter hatred. The novel ends on a deliberately dark note, setting the stage for the sequel…An outstanding effort from a reliable veteran.” —Booklist (starred Review)

Awesome!

Loved it! Jeffrey Archer is an exceptional storyteller. Can't wait to start on the 2nd volume.

Excellent Story

Jeffery brings you in right away. I couldn't stop listening. I finished this one in two days.. Typically it takes me a week or two to finish a 12 hour book... I'm excited to start the 2nd of the series.

Archer does it again

Jeffrey Archer is a gifted storyteller and proves it once more in Only Time Will Tell. The narrators are excellent and quite convincing. I cannot wait to read book 2 and find out the next drama in the life of Harry Clifton, his unusual family, and his friends.

Great Book

Was hooked from the start. Great narration. Can't wait to listen to the second book

Definitely Worth a Listen!

I love multigenerational stories with a coterie of interesting characters placed in compelling situations...and this is one of those books. Told from the points of view of a multitude of characters, this story of Harry Clifton's early life is engaging and engrossing and made me want to read it quickly, until I got to the cliffhanger ending leading into Book 2 of Archer's The Clifton Chronicles. The plot never rests and it's fun to watch Harry grow into an Oxford scholar from his days as an impoverished schoolboy whose singing talent nets him a scholarship to an upper-crust boarding school that his single mother would never have been able to afford on her meager wage as a waitress. The friendships he develops, the dramatic circumstances of his birth and of his father's death keep the drama moving and the reader on the edge of his seat until the very last word.

The novel is narrated by two different actors, a male and female, and both do a wonderful job, making this a fun and compelling listen.

Might be stuck

This was free on audible. Never Heard of the author nor was inclined for this type of story but it was very interesting. It's like one of those BBC shows that you unintentionally become addicted to. Like Downton Abbey. To be sure, the story was quite a bit different but it does have some nice English to it. I am an American and you can tell by this view that I've already been influenced by the dialogue.

Roshomon-type historical fiction

This story was told from seven viewpoints, seven times, yet like the fabled movie referenced in my headline, the story felt organic rather than repetitive.

The book focuses on the life of Harry, whose father(?) was killed when he was just a toddler and who is raised in penury by a determined single mother, who lives with her family and her destructive brother. His mother, and a village of well-meaning characters, does everything she can to get him ahead in 1930s Britain through education and hard work - first through a choral scholarship, then through grit, savings, and more hard work.

The central MacGuffin of this story is Harry's parentage. His mother had a one-night dalliance with the local baron's son, and it's possible that he's the father. Unfortunately for anyone who paid attention in high school biology, the "proof" is his colorblindness, which "has plagued the men in my family for generations," according to his putative grandfather, even though color blindness is carried on the X chromosome and so comes solely from the mother for males. So that was unconvincing and more than a little annoying. I mean, this book was written well after Google was invented. It took two seconds for me to confirm my half-memory that this is a maternal trait, and I know they have Google on the other side of the pond. Lazy on the part of the author.

The characters are fun, though caricatures: the drunken brawler uncle, the villainous and greedy baronet, the mother willing to sacrifice anything for her son, the learned and wise homeless mentor, the brilliant nerdy academic friend... The imagination comes purely in bringing to life the dockside England of a hundred years ago, and maybe the perfect characters are a deliberate reflection of the unsophistication and naïveté of stories from that time. Regardless, the story is compelling and enjoyable - you want things to work out for Harry and his family and friends, and are maybe willing to buy the next book to see how the cliffhanger is resolved.

I'm hooked on Clifton Chronicles

Loved Harry ' s story of social mobility and Maisy proved a mother's love has no limit.

Loved it

Okay... I have been waiting for a new Jeffrey Archer book for a long time. This one doesn't disappoint... great story... great characters... fantastic narration. Can't wait for the sequels.

Great story albeit somewhat predictable

Where does Only Time Will Tell rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Above average

What other book might you compare Only Time Will Tell to and why?

The Potato Factory

Which character – as performed by Roger Allam and Emelia Fox – was your favorite?

Maizie

If you could take any character from Only Time Will Tell out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Old Jack

Any additional comments?

At the end of the book set about 1940, Harry is read his Miranda rights. I don't think they were routinely read unti 1966.